Long, Lean and Lethal by O'Clare Lorie

Author:O'Clare, Lorie [O'Clare, Lorie]
Format: epub
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: 2010-02-20T19:03:15+00:00

THIRTEEN

Joanna was a hell of a lot more upset about Patty’s death than Steve was. Rain hung up the phone and dragged her fingers through her hair. It was tough consoling Joanna—and understanding her while she cried over the phone. But worse yet, now Rain knew the details concerning Patty’s funeral. She couldn’t go back to Wright’s Funeral Home.

“Patty Henderson’s funeral is at the same funeral parlor—” She stopped, closed her eyes, and dropped her cell phone next to the keyboard. “It’s the day after tomorrow.”

Patty’s murder was terrible. There wasn’t any such thing as a good murder. But Rain didn’t feel the sting of loss for her the way she did for her father. She’d seen a lot of dead bodies and investigated some atrocious murders, but since her father died, talking to those left behind hit her harder than it used to.

She cleared her throat and reached for her soda.

“I can’t go to the funeral,” she told Noah, feeling her eyes burn from dryness when she looked up as he stood in the doorway. She drank, willing the scratchiness in her throat to disappear.

“Okay,” he said slowly, tilting his head slightly while watching her. “Do you want to tell me why?”

Rain drew a line with her finger around the name of the funeral parlor. She’d written down the address also, although she didn’t need to. Rain knew exactly where it was.

“I’ve been there before,” she muttered, not really wanting to offer more.

“Isn’t there a reception?”

“Yes.” Her vision blurred as she stared at the information Joanna gave her. “Her family is actually holding the reception at her home. Joanna didn’t approve. She said they’re probably going to spend the entire time they’re there taking pictures off the wall and going through all of her silver and other valuables.”

“Funerals are a blast.”

Rain picked up her pen and doodled on the notepad, thinking just the opposite. They sucked. There wasn’t any greater pain than the person you loved more than yourself being yanked away from you.

“What’s wrong, princess?” Noah asked quietly.

For a moment, she almost thought her father had asked the question.

Rain stood up quickly, unwilling to allow the pain to resurface. “I told you never to call me that,” she said, feeling deflated but then hugging herself when she started trembling.

Noah didn’t move to her, which she silently thanked him for. He remained relaxed, his large frame leaning against the doorway, where he’d been standing ever since the call came through from Joanna. With his arms crossed over his bare chest, the sex appeal radiating off of him created a raw tingling that mixed with the agonizing pain inside Rain.

“Why don’t you like me calling you princess?” he finally asked, his dark, probing gaze giving her the impression she was all that was on his mind. More than likely, he had bestowed many women with that look over the years.

She couldn’t allow herself to fall for Noah. If her dad were still alive, he probably would have thrown a fit about her living with Noah in this house, even if it was undercover work.

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